Iowa women’s basketball is among the final six schools for talented 2026 prospect and four-star small forward Amari Byles.
The 6-foot-2 native of DeSoto, Texas, currently stars for Faith Family Academy of Oak Hill in Dallas, where she is ranked as the No. 19 overall recruit and as the No. 1 small forward in the 2026 recruiting class, according to Rivals. According to ESPN’s SportsCenter NEXT 100 rankings, Byles is the nation’s No. 37 recruit in 2026.
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247Sports ranks Byles as the No. 23 player nationally, as the No. 8 power forward and as the No. 3 player in Texas.
Along with Iowa, Byles’ other top six schools features Notre Dame, Stanford, Baylor, and fellow Big Ten foes Ohio State and Oregon.
During her junior season, Byles averaged 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for an Eagles team that earned an invitation to the 2025 Chipotle Nationals. In their semifinal loss to Montverde Academy (Fla.), Byles posted 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Byles averaged 15.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game to earn all-state honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Texas High School Coaches Association.
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Byles also plays on the Under Armour circuit with SA Finest, where she was recently tabbed as a Session 2 standout this summer.
While Byles is being heavily recruited by the other five programs, a commitment from the Texan would represent unprecedented recruiting success for the Hawkeyes, who just added a pledge from McKenna Woliczko to their 2026 recruiting class.
Iowa is also still pursuing five-star talents Addison Bjorn and Jenica Lewis and four-star guard Vienna Murray.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball among final six schools for 2026 four-star
